Originally Posted by
soxbats
Treant985, I received several emails from fellow forum members noting that my math was faulty and that the half century was up in 2009. I thought this was a support forum!! Now I have to block this site from my home computer and surf only at work!
When I started collecting I adhered to the “bat from time with the Red Sox” rule, but, as you note, I quickly found that many of the older bats were impossible to find at all, regardless of year. After missing a few, I decided that I would get any bat I could and then try to upgrade when the opportunity presented itself. That way I miss no bats and still can “stay in the game” by trying to upgrade all my bats. If I waited for the 19 I need to pop up, I might never buy any bats. Because most are common players, I never have a ton tied up in any one bat. While I usually lose money when selling the bat upgraded from, it is worth it to avoid the frustration of a miss. For me, I upgrade in the following manner (1) any bat, (2) bat from red sox years, (3) red sox years with correct uniform # on knob, (4) significant year with red sox (such as a WS year).
Even the newer guys are tough because there are team names all LVS bats and players are moving so much. Laroche is a great example. He played 6 games with the sox and I doubt there were any red sox bats made for him. In that case I look for a non LVS (no team name) from the relevant time period. I would guess that 90% of my bats are 2 or higher on my upgrade scale.
Joel, I joke about my wife’s reaction on the board and with my friends, but in reality she is incredibly supportive and always has been. Of course, I was a collector when we met, so she knew what she was getting into, just not on the current scale. I also have 3 kids, the oldest an 11 year old boy who loves baseball, so he and his brother enjoy the collection too. In fact, I’m not sure they understand how unique the collection is because it has always been around for them. The collection is known to many in my community and often people with Boston fans for friends or relatives will ask to stop by and see the bats. I also have a number of autographed pictures, posters and magazines that I have collected since I was in grade school and now display along with the bats. It’s funny, if I had 500 star trek figures I would be strange, but 500 bats are historic.
For many years my collection was in storage as I moved from apartment to apartment and small city row home. In 1999 we moved to the burbs and bought a fixer upper. While it needed a lot of work, it had a large third floor that we eventually renovated and houses my collection. I admit that when we were looking at houses I was thinking about an area that could house my collection. It has grown to fill the rec room, but my wife and I have an unwritten agreement that it will not leave that floor. In fact, there is not a scrap anywhere else in the house. Having the ability to display the entire collection has exponentially added to the enjoyment. It has also allowed me to add security so that nothing walks out like it might in a storage unit.
Some day I hope to lend the collection to the Red Sox for display in a hall of fame at Fenway. I have been in (limited) contact with the club in this regard and hear rumors occasionally about this project. Until then, I add the new names and hunt for needed players and upgrades. Many of our forum members are a huge help.
Thank you for your interest.
Jeff
soxbats@aol.com
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